How to Choose an Occasion Dress for Your Body Type

Most fashion advice puts women into slim and plus size categories and leaves it there. That's not helpful enough.

The usual question is what suits your body type. The question you should be asking is “will you be comfortable in this dress all-day?”

Some dresses need you to hold a shape, some need you to stand a certain way, some need you to manage yards of fabric. None of that is wrong, but when the day involves six hours of sitting, dancing and hugging people, it matters a lot.

Why detail is easier than volume

Big, structured dresses create a shape, so they have to be built for yours. That's why so much body type advice is really about volume. When it's wrong, the dress ends up wearing you.

Detail works differently. Petals, texture, a good finish. It sits on top of the dress instead of changing your outline, so it looks good on almost everyone, as long as the fit underneath is right. It's a big part of why AMARAÉ leans towards detail.

What to check before you buy

Length first. Midi and maxi suit nearly everyone, and they're the safest choice for weddings anyway.

Then look at where the hem, or any seam, lands. If it hits your widest point, that's where people's eyes go. Move it a couple of inches either way and the problem disappears. This has nothing to do with size.

Sit down in it, every time. You'll be seated for hours at a wedding, and a dress that only works standing up will ruin your evening.

And think about the heat. Something that feels fine in an air conditioned fitting room can start clinging after two hours outside in Lagos.

If you're slim

People will tell you to add volume. Sort of. Structure usually works better. A fitted dress looks intentional on a slim frame without any extra fabric. If you want volume, put it in one place, a sleeve or the hem, not everywhere. Just don't disappear inside the dress.

If you're curvier

People will tell you to hide. Don't.

Get the shoulders and the bust right and let the rest fall. Most badly fitting occasion dresses on fuller figures aren't too small. They're wrong at the shoulder, and everything below it looks off as a result.

Fabric with some body to it will do more for you than thin fabric that clings. And avoid anything you have to keep holding in place.

Simple usually wins

Plenty of people search for simple aso ebi styles, and they have the right idea. The more complicated a dress is, the more things can go wrong with it.

If it comes down to a showstopper that almost fits and a simpler dress that fits perfectly, take the simpler one. You'll look better in the photos and you'll actually wear it again.

What your tailor can and can't fix

A good tailor can take in the waist, shorten the hem, adjust the bust and bring the shoulders in slightly. That's everyday work.

They can't add fabric that isn't there, change how a fabric behaves, or save a shoulder that's completely wrong for you. So buy for the shoulders and the fabric, and let the tailor handle the rest.

Shop AMARAÉ for occasion dresses cut to fit properly. Delivery across Niger

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